You still want that pony...don't you?

This line along with "And for you it was the choo choo train, and you wanted a red wagon...and you wanted the easy bake oven huh! Ho ho ho, MERRY CHRISTMAS!" rang through the halls of Pioneer Place Mall this past month, and I had the privelage of witnessing it. Well, the Santa job is almost over and I couldn't be HAPPIER!!! There's nothing like working with Santa EVERY SINGLE day to drive the Christmas spirit right out of ya. :) Nah, I'm just kidding. Besides the fact that the company I work for is extremely unorganized, I enjoyed being reminded of my childhood, back in the day when I believed in Jolly Ole St. Nick. Honestly, I believe Santa is a great step for kids. Something pretty tangible for them to believe in...an insentive to be good and help others, especially around Christmas time. Then, eventually, and hopefully, it evolves into a strong belief in Christ. Santa is no longer our insentive, but the Savior is and the rewards we receive for what He has done for us. I'm so thankful for the true reason for this season. :)

On another note...it looks like we're having a white Christmas here in Portland, OR. CRAZY!!! This is the most snow this area has seen since 1968!


I hope y'all have a very merry Christmas!

December 1st!

I can't believe it. Christmas is just around the corner. Ok, honestly I'm only making this post because I'm sittin' here at my sister's apartment, waiting for her to get ready to go shopping. There's not a whole lot to do and she suggested I make another post on my blog. So here it is.

Life is nice. Nice and busy. Thanksgiving did not seem like Thanksgiving this year. Probably because I had to work. But it was good none-the-less. The best thing about Thanksgiving food is Chuck's homemade turkey soup. I don't love turkey all that much. If it were up to me, we'd have steak. But, I absolutely LOVE Chuck's turkey soup. He's the best turkey soup maker ever. :) And this year it was extra tasty because my step-sister, Penny, made the turkey and she marinated it. So, put in the soup, it was DELICIOUS. I can't tell you enough how much I love turkey soup. Probably almost as much as I love sushi, which I'm going to have today...so I'm really excited about it.

For those of you who read this and care, Elder Colby Smith is still in my life. We continually write letters once a week, and I'm expecting a second tape from him this week. He's a doll and I can't wait to see where this all takes us. He gets home February 25th. The time seems to be going by slower and slower...especially in between letters. Now, I just need to focus on getting into shape in the next couple months. :)

Working two jobs isn't really my thing, but luckily it will only last up until Christmas. Being on my feet for 12 hours straight or more every day has really been hard on my feet. They're swollen...they didn't even fit into my church shoes this Sunday! Goodness. But, I know I'm gonna love it when I start seeing the money come in. :)

By the way, I absolutely love Sundays. Church is wonderful. I was recently called as a primary worker and I'm enjoying that. And, I LOVE the family dinners we have every Sunday where my sister and her boyfriend come over, along with my cousin Sundy and her husband Tyler when they can. It's so much fun. I LOVE my family.

Ok, so this was the most boring post I've made I think. Oh well. It made the time go by faster. Buh bye!

Bleh...Blee...Blah

Do you ever feel like you're in one of those "blah" moods? Well, that's what I'm feeling right now. Just...blah. There's no other word for it. I have to work tonight from 11:00 p.m. to an unknown time (that's the beauty of working at the theaters...you never know when your shift ends) but it's probably going to be 2 or 3 a.m. Why? I have Twilight to thank for this lovely shift. Because of all those nutsos who insist on seeing the movie opening night, I get to work in the middle of the freaking night...and into the morning. Because, obviously, everyone knows that opening night is different than the rest of the several weeks it will be playing in the theater, right? WRONG. Nah...I understand the excitement of seeing something opening night when it's been anticipated for months. I stood in line for one of the Harry Potters and also one of the X-Men movies. Back then, however, I did not really realize the sacrifice the workers were making. :) But it's all good, right?

So, another funny thing. By the way, this post is not the least bit interesting, I'm just venting here. I was out of work for about 3 months. I finally found the movie theater job a few weeks ago, and was also hired to be the assistant manager for the Santa's photo booth in the mall. So...I went from ZERO amount of work for 3 months, to work EVERY day for the next month. Now, believe me, I'm thankful for the work; I really am. I'm just kind of dreading the fact that I won't have a single day off of work from now until after Christmas...not even Thanksgiving or even Christmas day itself. But...it's all good, right?

And what about this? I have college education. THREE years worth of it. Sure, I never got my associates...but only because I didn't apply for it. I have all the credits to qualify for it. I am going back as soon as I save enough money to get my self up and running again...in order to finnish and get my BA. But, don't you think that 3 years of college should get me something better than the movie theaters and santa's helper for now? I'm just a little confused by that. But again...it's all good. Hopefully I'll still have friends when I'm 62 and still working at the movie theaters...

Posting to post

Nothin' new is happening. That's the risk I take having a blog as a single chick living at home...working at the movie theathers. I don't have much of a life...YET. But I'm ok with that. I love hanging out with my family. :) Here are a couple new things in my life.

We had sibling bonding time at The Spill Canvas concert.






And, thanks to a friend and her weight loss efforts, I have now kicked my butt into gear and started working out. Leslie Sansone and I are becoming best buddies.


I LOVE these videos! I'm tellin' ya...they're amazing! They give me the best workout, but they're not intimidating and I have FUN while doing it. It's the greatest!

I know what I know.

There is no doubt about this people. Jesus Christ lives, and along with His and our Father, He appeared to the boy Joseph Smith and restored his perfect gospel to the earth in its fullness. I testified of this for 18 months in Mississippi and Louisiana, and I will continue to testify of this for the rest of my life. Satan is working harder and harder to attack the righteous, specifically targeting families. This is obvious in every worldly thing that surrounds us. But while Satan continues to fight, so does Jesus Christ. And even Satan himself knows that he's on the losing side. I've chosen my side and I hope and pray that when I stand before my Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ they will take me into their arms and say, "Well done, you've fought a good fight; welcome home."

Odd Jobs

I just absolutely love this limbo time...especially with the economy as it is...when I get to frantically search for a job, any job, that will take me and ultimately, pay me. After three months of no income, I now have two sources. Where? Don't be jealous...


That's right...free movies for me and all my homies! :)

And...where else?

Yep...y'all better be good, because I'm the helper of Santa, the one and only. :)

Thank goodness for temporary odd jobs...to tide me over until I can afford the "real" life of school, school, school again.

Quick Goodbye

The beauty of blogging and facebook is the fact that one can keep in touch with hundreds of people from elementary school, middle school, highschool and college, for years and years, when before, this wasn't the case. When I returned home from my mission I checked my facebook page and found that several people had discovered me in the internet world, and wanted to be my "friend." One of these individuals was Heidi Johnson. Heidi and I go back several years. Her mother, before Heidi was born, was my dad's highschool German teacher. As my dad's life came to an end, he found this teacher and contacted her in order to thank her for making a difference in his life while he was young. Through this contact we discoverd that she had a daughter my age, Heidi. From that point on, Heidi and her mother were in our lives. Pam Johnson, Heidi's mother, lent her helping hand to my parents when they were in need of a sitter or relief from the kids for just an hour or two during the trying times of my dad's cancer. They attended my dad's funeral, and Pam continued to help. Heidi and I became fast friends. We spent time together, swam together, went to the park together, had sleepovers and birthday parties together. We had a great childhood bond. As is often of childhood friends, we drifted apart in later highschool years, but never forgot the bond we created as children. When I came home from my mission, I noticed she had found me and I wrote to her, excited about renewing our friendship. Two days ago, I recieved a message from another highschool friend, notifying me that she had seen my message to Heidi back in August, and thought she should let me know that Heidi had died in a car accident earlier this year. I was completely shocked, and it's consumed my thoughts for the past two days. Now, I don't want to be misleading about this. I'm not grieving terribly over her loss as people often do over close close friends. But, it has sadddened me and hit me in such a strange and powerful way. The morning of her death was just and ordinary day for her, for her mother, for her boyfriend, for her one-year-old son she left behind. In a matter of minutes, however, ordinary was gone, along with Heidi and her boyfriend...a head on colission that killed her boyfriend instantly, and Hiedi minutes later. The other two victums lived. I never realized more than I do now, how quickly things can happen. I will continue to say "I love you" to those that I love, continue to serve whenever I can, spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ as long as I live and never leave an argument un-mended. I feel for Heidi's mother. She needs the gospel in her life and I plan on helping her find it.